Case study: cultivating engaging academic copy

The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) turned to us for help with copywriting and copyediting for their new website.

The NIAS is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). They commissioned us to edit and write copy for their updated website as they felt their existing content needed a refresh. While it was informative, the tone did little to inspire the institute’s prospective fellows: best-in-class academic researchers and writers.

Given the target audience, the updated website required copy that was professional, enlightening and succinct. In the brief, NIAS requested UK-English copy in a tone that exuded professionalism but was also humorous and warm.

Following our initial team meeting – in which we pooled together our collective decades’ worth of copywriting experience – we outlined the perfect style of copy for their website. Where many copywriters would struggle with this challenging writing style, our diverse team’s background in social research and journalism meant that EdenFrost was up for the challenge. The resulting copy resembled the tried-and-true style of writing for academics, but with a more active and humorous tone to help keep the target audience engaged, satisfied and entertained. Of course, SEO was carefully considered and employed throughout.

The final copy was an immediate success with NIAS staff and research fellows alike.

Contact us to learn more about our English-language copywriting services.